Gunnison County Road 64 closed until Memorial Day for repairs (04-24-12)

GUNNISON, Colo. - The Federal Highway Administration-Central Federal Lands Highway Division in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management’s Gunnison Field Office and the National Park Service will close County Road 64 (also referred to as Gateview Road) beginning Wednesday, April 30, for repairs.

The road was substantially damaged by heavy rain in July 2010. Monsoonal rains caused landslides that damaged several sections of the road making the road impassable and unsafe for public use.

The project includes grading within the existing roadway, re-establishing ditches, removing excess vegetation, and re-establishing the road embankment. The material within the existing roadway will be used to re-build the roadbed.

“There are 10 isolated sites along the road within a one-mile stretch that require roadway repair,” said Andrew Breibart, BLM hydrologist. “Much of the accumulated debris is still on the road, restricting access and increasing safety concerns.”

Gateview Road is located on BLM lands in Gunnison County about 22 miles southwest of Gunnison. The road follows the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and provides access to BLM land and recreational facilities and is also adjacent to the NPS-managed Curecanti National Recreation Area. The road is generally open to the public, weather-permitting, from mid-May to mid-September. Recreational use of the road includes fishing, camping and rafting.

Several commercial rafters run this stretch of the Lake Fork during spring run-off and high flow periods. While the road is closed to the public, the commercial rafters will have access to the road.

The project was recently approved for funding from the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program, which provides emergency funds for serious natural disaster-related damage when it severely impacts the safety, capacity or usefulness of a roadway.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.